--- title: "War over the Sea: How Ukraine is Changing the Rules of the Game Against 'Shaheds' Using Fixed-Wing Drones and Beacons" description: "Kyrylo Lyukov from the Serhiy Prytula Foundation explained how Ukraine is changing the rules of the game in maritime air defense. 🌊 Instead of copters, long-endurance fixed-wing drones are being used, and the 'Mayachnya' project solves the problem of navigation without GPS. The enemy is forced to move 'Shahed' routes further and further from the shore. 🚁🇺🇦" date: 2026-08-04T09:48:01.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/war-over-the-sea-ukraine-fixed-wing-drones-and-mayachnya-project tags: [sergey-pritula-foundation, kyrylo-liukov, naval-pvo, technotaras, mayaan] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # War over the Sea: How Ukraine is Changing the Rules of the Game Against 'Shaheds' Using Fixed-Wing Drones and Beacons ![Ukrainian aircraft drones with the inscription 'ЕДИНОЗБІР' and identification marks, ready for deployment against Iranian 'Shahed' kamikaze drones](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/04/morskaya-pvo-ukrainy-samoletnye-drony-i-proekt-mayachnya/morskaya-pvo-ukrainy-samoletnye-drony-i-proekt-mayachnya-1.webp) Protecting airspace over land and over the open sea are fundamentally different tasks requiring unique approaches and equipment. While ground-based air defense is constantly discussed, the maritime sector often remains in the shadows. However, it is precisely here, over the water, that a hidden but critically important battle for the sky is taking place. Kyrylo Lyukov, Head of the Unmanned Technologies Department at the Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation, revealed details on the development of maritime air defense and key technological breakthroughs in an article for RBK-Ukraine. These innovations allow Ukrainian units to intercept enemy drones at significant distances from the coast. ### Why Multirotors Lose Effectiveness at Sea Today, the main interceptors are multirotor copters and fixed-wing (airplane-type) drones. Copters are valued for their quick launch and ease of control, performing excellently in coastal zones. However, as practice shows, in the open sea they cease to be an optimal solution. Russia plans flight routes for strike drones so that transit paths pass tens of kilometers from the coastline. At distances beyond 25 kilometers, multi-copters become practically useless due to limited flight time. Meanwhile, a fixed-wing drone is a glider capable of staying in the air for over an hour and maintaining stable communication at distances of 40 kilometers and more. Furthermore, over water, the radio horizon opens up, which does not exist on land due to terrain and construction. This makes fixed-wing drones a logical and necessary choice for defending the maritime direction. The Serhiy Prytula Foundation systematically supports the development of such solutions in the south of the country. ### Strategic Effect: Shoot Down or Deter? Recent achievements by several units that received assistance from the Foundation have changed the balance of power. For the enemy, this means their vulnerability now begins significantly further from the shore than they planned. If such results become systemic, the enemy is forced to move transit routes even further out to sea. This is the strategic effect: the goal is not only the physical destruction of the drone but also changing the enemy's behavior, forcing them to act less effectively. ### Hunting Reconnaissance Drones: A New Tactic Protecting airspace over the sea involves two key tasks, with the fight against reconnaissance UAVs becoming the priority. Why them? The enemy uses reconnaissance drones not only for observation but also as repeaters within a MESH network. In such a configuration, a reconnaissance drone allows operators to manually control kamikaze drones like 'Shaheds' right up to the moment of impact on the target. Therefore, the strategic task of Ukrainian air defense is to strike these communication carriers, depriving the enemy of the ability to control the strike group. Thanks to the constant presence of fixed-wing interceptors in the sky, enemy reconnaissance drones are already forced to move significantly away from the shore. The mere fact of the interceptor's presence creates a deterrent effect: the enemy changes routes and limits their capabilities. ### Project 'Mayachnya': Navigation Without GPS One of the main problems of maritime air defense is navigation. Units operating without GPS on land orient themselves by towers, buildings, and terrain. In the open sea, there are no such landmarks, making route planning and the return of the interceptor critically difficult. At the end of last year, at the initiative of the Serhiy Prytula Foundation, jointly with the 12th Separate Center for Special Operations (12 OSO) and the miltech company 'TechnoTaras', the 'Mayachnya' project was launched. Its essence is the creation of an autonomous network of radio beacons based on Skyline along the coast from Ochakiv to Izmail. These beacons work autonomously, have backup power, and are connected to a centralized network with remote configuration capabilities. This allows the operator to know the location of their asset at any moment—even during GPS jamming, in bad weather, or upon loss of communication. The project became an impetus for creating a nationwide network of beacons based on Sine-link and Skyline. ### Triumph of Cooperation Today, more than five units on the southern front are using fixed-wing equipment provided by the Serhiy Prytula Foundation. Behind every shot-down 'Shahed' or reconnaissance drone, behind every changed enemy route, stands the coordinated work of a triangle: manufacturer, unit, and Foundation. The manufacturer receives combat feedback and improves the equipment. The unit receives current weaponry and training. The Foundation coordinates and scales successful solutions. As noted in the Foundation: we are invincible when united!